The preferred embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is for the purpose of dispensing toilet tissue from two large rolls thereof, such dispensing being carried out alternately with respect to the rolls.
It is well known in the prior art to employ dispensers holding two or more rolls of toilet tissue or similar sheet material which maintains at least one of the rolls as a reserve roll while the sheet material is being dispensed from the other roll. Such devices are usually, but not exclusively, employed in institutional environments such as public restrooms.
The following United States patents are believed to be representative of the current state of the prior art in this field: U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,601, issued Oct. 10, 1989, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,816, issued Nov. 30, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,411, issued Dec. 13, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 2,510,537, issued Jun. 6, 1950, U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,585, issued Dec. 27, 1983, U.S. Pat. No. 3,677,485, issued Jul. 18, 1972, U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,329, issued Dec. 27, 1966, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,240,629, issued May 6, 1941.
Most of the above-identified patents disclose dispensers for dispensing toilet tissue or other paper sheet material from two rolls and the present invention is utilized for such purpose also. However, the present invention addresses a problem inherent in conventional prior art dispensers; more particularly, the dispenser apparatus disclosed and claimed herein allows easy access to the roll from which paper sheet material is being dispensed throughout the entire dispensing operation. The roll location is always maintained at the lower portion of the dispenser. Conventional prior art dispensers typically require the user to reach up into the interior of the dispenser to obtain manual access to tissue or other paper sheet material being dispensed as the roll decreases in diameter.
The present invention is also characterized by its relative simplicity and low expense, as well as by its ease of use as compared to many prior art constructions.